South Africa has launched the Ekandustria Industrial Park aimed at playing a key role in linking various market in Gauteng.
Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies who performed the launching ceremony said launch followed the completion of the first phase of the revitalisation of the park under the Department of Trade and Industry’s Revitalisation of Industrial Parks Programme.
“Ekandustria Industrial Park is strategically located in Eastern Gauteng, in close geographic proximity to the Maputo Corridor. The Maputo Corridor links the park with the markets in Mpumalanga via Witbank and Middleburg in the Eastern side and North West until Botswana via the City of Tshwane in the Western side,” said Davies.
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Ekandustria Industrial Park
The Ekandustria Industrial Park is located located outside Bronkhorspruit and serves both the people of Gauteng and Mpumalanga. Improvements comprised of the upgrading of the security infrastructure including fencing, the installation of boom gates, pedestrian gates, vehicular gates, the installation and construction of guard houses as well as the refurbishment of the waste water treatment plant in the park.
According to the Trade Minister, the the first phase of the revitalization of the park focused on the critical needs of the facility. The project work employed 147 local personnel and appointed 20 local Small Medium and Micro Enterprises on site since the inception of the project.
The park currently has a 56% occupancy rate comprising of a mixture of tenants who operate in a variety of business industries with a focus in manufacturing including construction material, food, recycling, clothing and textile.
Acting Chief Executive Officer of Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency, Themba Camane noted that their observation as an agency that manages the park is that small enterprises that operate within the park have been the backbone of the park and helped it survive through the years.
“If you look at the size of the park and track of land that has already been serviced by government, it clearly shows the commitment of government to attract new investors that can come into the park and establish more factories,“ said Camane.
